Lindsey Pernell Silveira
CMT# 62125
My Story
Perhaps having our daughter in 2017 at the age of 38 was extra motivation to focus on my health and fitness so that I could 1. Keep up with her (she never stops!) and 2. Be in her life as long as possible. But even decades before that, my curiosity about my own health issues fueled my passion about holistic health. I came to intimately understand first hand that diet and lifestyle are integral when it comes to managing or even healing various “dis-eases”, especially autoimmune conditions, digestive issues and even these “mystery illnesses” with vast symptoms that we are starting to see more and more of.
As a young child, I struggled with dozens of food sensitivities, chronic ear infections, eczema, digestive issues and behavioral problems. As a teen and young adult I experienced depression, blood sugar dysregulation and acne. Around the age of 30, I began experiencing a slew of symptoms despite “eating well” and being fit and “healthy”. Fatigue, body aches, joint pain, digestive distress, anxiety, and brain fog robbed me of feeling like my happy, energetic self. Little did I know that all my symptoms were connected. Something wasn’t right. Ultimately, I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease in 2013 and so began an even deeper dive into the journey of finding my health again.
To rewind a bit, my story began in Redding, CA where I grew up and spent time recreating in the nearby mountains, lakes and rivers. When I was 18, I moved to Chico (because it had the most beautiful campus!) where I studied Environmental Education and Spanish at California State University, Chico. I got involved with the college outings program, Adventure Outings, and began leading rafting and backpacking trips. It was a life-changing experience, and not only did I meet dear friends that I am still close with, but also my husband.
After college, in what feels like a previous life, I went on to manage a volunteer, conservation-based rafting program, and later worked on policy to help keep California rivers healthy. However, after 5 years in the conservation world, I realized I had a calling to the field of holistic health and wellness that could no longer be ignored.
In 2007 I attended the National Holistic Institute to become a Certified Massage Therapist. I practiced massage in San Francisco and later in Aspen, CO for a few years before moving back to Chico where I started my own private massage practice in 2011. I have thoroughly enjoyed building a wonderful clientele here in Chico that keeps me feeling grateful and inspired.
In 2012 I attended the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and became a Certified Holistic Health Coach. For ten years I enjoyed working with clients to help them meet their health and wellness goals by addressing dietary and lifestyle changes. But I wanted more. I wanted the tools to help my clients get to the root causes of challenging health issues.
I began studying the “Full Body Systems” curriculum at the Functional Nutrition Alliance in 2022, and finished a year-long program to become a Functional Nutrition Counselor in 2023. This program provided me with the systematic tools I was looking for to support clients with more complex health issues. What about those individuals, such as myself, who had already eliminated gluten, dairy and sugar and were doing all the “right” things but still experiencing significant health struggles?
Functional Nutrition addresses just this, and as a Functional Nutrition Counselor, I look beyond cookie-cutter protocols and focus on the individual. Each of us can arrive at a certain diagnosis or a set of symptoms through different avenues. My job is to understand how you got there, and what we need to do to shift your terrain so that symptoms can no longer exist.
I am so inspired and excited about this work. It is humbling to witness profound changes with clients who have taken the steps, and ultimately who have trusted me to support them on this journey.
When I am not cooking for myself and my family, I enjoy spending time outside with my energetic daughter and husband, snuggling with my kitties, swimming laps at the gym, riding bikes, working out, gardening, hiking and going to the coast over in Fort Bragg.
